Realization and Acceptance
by VongolaVampiress
Summary: Yuri is finally willing to come to terms with the fact that he is in love with his fiance. But he doesn't know whether to act upon it or not. So what happens when Wolfram's childhood friend decides to show up? Gwendel and Conrad can't get her to stay out of it and comical chaos ensues, of course! Wolfram x Yuri with slight ? X OC (character/oc pairing to be revealed later)
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Yuri exhaled and rolled over on his side. His breath hitched briefly in slight surprise when he noticed a certain blonde laying beside him, sleeping soundly.

{Oh. I wonder why I didn't hear Wolfram come in? Was it after I had fallen asleep the first time?} he thought. {Stupid jerk...then again, I guess I shouldn't blame him TOO much since he doesn't know what goes through my mind...but still! He IS the reason I can't get back to sleep now!}

What Yuri meant by thinking this wasn't that he couldn't go back to sleep knowing Wolfram was yet again sleeping in his bed, but because...

Because something changed about a month prior to this night. For weeks now, Yuri had found himself less and less determined to break the engagement. This surprised him, as he thought for sure he was a hundred percent straight. And he wasn't even sure what changed his mind in the first place. The only thing he knew for sure was...

Wolfram stirred a moment and opened his eyes.

"Yuri? What is it?" he asked tiredly. Yuri smiled reassuringly.

"It's nothing, Wolfram. I was just thinking. Sorry I woke you up." he said, rolling back over on his back. A bit of doubt flickered in Wolfram's emerald eyes, but after a moment, the blonde fell back asleep, leaving his fiance to ponder once again.

Exhaling, Yuri closed his eyes. The only thing he knew for certain...was that he had come to the realization that he was in love with his betrothed. The only question was...what was he going to do about it?

xx

"Mira." At the stern tone in Conrad's voice, the demon girl with seafoam green hair turned and blinked her violet eyes in confusion.

"What is it?" she asked. He crossed his arms.

"So," he said, "Who is it you're after?" This confused the pale skinned girl even more, and she inquired as to what he was going on about. This seemed to irritate the brunette and he said,

"You know what I'm talking about. You've got an air about you that feels like you're tense and up to no good. So who are you after? Are you plotting to steal Yuri from my little brother...or are you going to attempt to steal my brother from Yuri?" Mirette sighed and shook her head.

"You really don't get it, do you? While Wolfram and I have been good friends since childhood, and admittedly the king IS cute...I guess...I am NOT out for either of their hearts. You know who I'm in love with, you dolt! ..." Her expression became troubled then, "...Conrad, the reason I have my doubts about their engagement is...well you said yourself that it was unintentional, and you said yourself that up until a month ago, King Yuri has been wanting to call the betrothal off. As for Wolfram, I didn't need you to tell me that Wolfram wouldn't allow it for the sake of his own pride."

"So basically what you're saying-" Mira interrupted Conrad's statement.

"What I'm saying is that if Wolfram and King Yuri don't love eachother and his majesty only decided to give up on convincing Wolfram to let him break it off because he was sick of trying...then I'll break the engagement myself somehow if I must." Before Conrad could say anything, she added, "But before I do anything rash...I want to find out for myself if they really do love eachother."

Conrad sighed.

"Mira, do you mind if I give you a piece of advice?" he asked.

"What is it?"

"Do NOT meddle in their affairs. Yuri and Wolfram are both perfectly capable of dealing with this their own way. If you meddle, you may go overboard and something bad may happen." With that last remark, Conrad left Mirette to think on it.

**(VongolaVampiress: And that concludes the chapter of this fic. Originally it was going to be a Wolfram x OC, but unlike some other characters I like who I started Character X OC fic outlines for, I couldn't see Wolfram paired with anyone but Yuri, and I've been dying to write a shonenai, so I went ahead with it. But I didn't want to discard or recycle Mirette, so I made her Wolfram's childhood friend/ a character for a side pairing. The side pairing will be revealed eventually, but honestly, since this is a Yuri x Wolfram fic, I'm not in any hurry about focusing on the OC's pairing. Well, I hope you enjoyed chapter 1. It was short and didn't have much of Yuri and Wolfram, but I promise chapter 2 will have MUCH more of them in it!**

**Wolfram: Hey, aren't you going to tell them the other stuff? Like-**

**VongolaVampiress: H-hey look! Yuri is flirting with a girl! ^^; You better go stop him.**

**Wolfram: WHAT?! YURI, YOU HEARTLESS FLIRT! *leaves***

**VongolaVampires: Phew...^^; sorry people, no fic spoilers for you today! Chapter 2 will be up soon, okay! ^ ^ ...)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Yuri sighed and sat up in the bath tub.

{Man, home again already? And for once I was actually looking forward to a bath with Wolfram. ...Wow. Never thought I'd say that.} he thought. With another sigh, he got out of the tub and examined his clothes, which he hadn't had the time to change out of when he fell into the bath and got sent home.

"And if missing out on a bath and most likely making Wolfram mad at me again wasn't enough, my clothes are soaked...yet again. Oh well. It's better than going back and forth naked, I guess." As he was about to change into the dry clothes that were laying on the counter for him, his mother knocked on the bathroom door.

"Yuri dear, someone is here to see you. She says she's a friend of yours." Yuri blinked in confusion. A GIRL was here to see him? He almost laughed softly at the irony as he shook his head. Back when he was single and straight (or thought he was, anyway) he would've loved for beautiful girls to talk to him, but of course, they wouldn't give him the time of day. But now that he was engaged...to a GUY, no less...a girl actually came to his HOUSE to see him.

"I'll be right out, Mom!" he said.

But he couldn't help but wonder who it was. After all, he didn't really know any of the girls from his school. Sure, he knew some of their names, but that was about it. And as far as he knew, none of the women he knew from the other world (demon or human) could travel to his world. So...who on earth could it be?

xx

Upon seeing the violet eyed girl, Yuri's own eyes widened in surprise.

"Mira?! What the heck?! How did you get here?" he asked. Mira sighed.

"To be technical, I am not actually in your world. I am merely using my power of illusion to project an image of myself there. However, my powers are weak, so I can only project myself in your world for five minutes at a time...and not just your world, but any location, before you ask such an unimportant question. I've already been here for two minutes, so we must make this quick." Yuri blinked.

"So...why are you here anyway?" he asked. Mira looked up at him, worry shining in her eyes.

"I know it isn't my place to meddle, but I'm concerned about this engagement business between you and Wolfram." she said.

"Concerned? You're worried about Wolfram?" Yuri asked. Mira shook her head.

"It isn't only him, Your Maje...I mean Yuri. Sorry, I almost forgot. I'm worried about you, as well. I've peiced together some of the things Conrad filled me in on when I arrived to visit Wolf and meet you for the first time. He told me that...well...he told me your engagement was unintentional and due to Wolf making rash comments about your mother. She's a kind woman, by the way. I'm glad I got to meet her. Anyway, Conrad also told me that up until a month ago, you've been trying to get Wolf to either let you break off the engagement, or do so himself. Why the sudden change?"

"..." For a moment, Yuri was silent. He didn't know if he should tell her or not. The truth of the matter was, he himself did not want to look back on the event that opened his eyes and heart to the truth of his feelings towards his accidental fiance.

"If you don't want to tell me what happened, I understand. That's not what I'm asking. What I want to know is... did you stop protesting the idea of engagement because you love him?" Yuri was about to answer, but before he could, the image of Mira faded away.

"Huh...five minutes really isn't that long a time, is it?" he muttered. However, while the image of Mirette was gone, her words remained on his mind. How is it that she, a total stranger to him, was able to more or less see through him so easilly like that?

xx

"Huh? Mira did WHAT?!" Wolfram exclaimed.

"Yeah, I know right? But don't worry. She doesn't seem like the kind of girl who will go around stealing other people's fiances. No, there must be something else to it. And you know what?" suddenly Wolfram's expression became uneasy when Annisina held out a small pouch before continuing,

"I've got the perfect invention for this! It's my magically powered Truth Machine!" Wolfram groaned and shook his head. The machine was small; about the size of a baseball, and it was shaped like an eye. In the middle of it was a piece of glass much like what one would find in a telescope or magnifying glass, and on the top was a small button. To Wolfram, it looked like nothing more than a child's TOY telescope, and a pretty junky one at that.

"Give me a break! That dopey looking little machine couldn't possibly help tell what's going through Mira's screwy head. I'm gonna make Yuri tell me what they were talking about when he comes back! But he's such a flirt, and I haven't seen Mira in so long I wouldn't be suprised if she HAS turned into a man stealing hussie." he huffed, crossing his arms.

xx

Yuri examined the items in the store and sighed, scratching his head. None of these items seemed like something Wolfram would like. Granted Valentines Day wasn't for three more days, but he had no way of telling when he would be pulled back to the other world, and he wanted the perfect gift for his fiance. Sure Wolfram wouldn't really understand the concept, but he always wanted to do something romantic like this for his special person. Granted he never thought said person would be a demon OR a guy, but still. The only thing that worried Yuri more than Wolfram not liking the item was that due to circumstances, the item had to be completely waterproof.

"But where am I going to find something like that?" he muttered.

"Excuse me, but you seem troubled. Do you need help finding something?" Yuri turned to the shop owner.

"Well ma'am, you see...I want to find the perfect Valentines Day gift for the person I'm with, but the item I get has to be water proof. I know this sounds dumb, but do you have anything like that?" he asked. The blonde woman thought a moment.

"Hmm...well, that depends. What kind of things is your significant other into? Do they do a lot of writing or swiming? Perhaps they're into collecting swords? As you can see, since this is a business I started as an entrepreneur, there's a variety of items in here. From stationary and other writing and art supplies, to various pieces of jewelry and homemade sweets. I even have some antiques and decorative weapons." Yuri thought about buying a decorative sword...but Wolfram would probably say something along the lines of,

_"Moron! What am I supposed to do with a sword I can't use in battle!?"_

No, if Yuri was going to get Wolfram a sword, it would have to be later on in the Demon Kingdom. So, he thought again. Come to think of it, he HAD seen Wolfram writing in a journal of some kind lately. So, maybe...

"Do you have any nice pen sets? Metal ones, I mean." he asked. The owner of the store smiled and nodded.

"Sure thing. Right over there next to the notebooks. Just pick the set you like and bring it up to the register. I'll even gift wrap it for free, if you like. Do you want to buy a tin of chocolates, too? They're on sale for half price when you buy another item from the store."

"Um...sure." Yuri said. He figured he may as well.

xx

As Yuri walked home, he clutched the bag in his hands tightly. Thinking on it, he didn't know WHY he told the woman to go ahead and gift wrap the chocolates OR the pen set. Especially since the wrapping paper would have to be removed anyway. And he wished that he had found _the Dragon's Lair _a lot sooner, since he had been searching since early that afternoon and it was now almost dark. He couldn't even begin to count how many stores he had gone into that day. But...Yuri smiled at the thought.

But it would be worth it to make Wolfram happy, right?

After all, even though sometimes it seemed like it was only out of pride, Wolfram was willing to do just about anything for Yuri. He had given Yuri his loyalty and love, and...

No, Yuri didn't want to think about that day right now. It was over and done with, and Wolfram was okay now. It was almost like it never even happened. Not even Wolfram cared that it happend, so...so why did it bother Yuri to think about it so much?

Truth was, Wolfram almost died, and...

"It was all my fault..." Yuri murmured.

_The two happened to be taking a walk around one of the local towns near Covenant Castle. Well, originally Yuri meant to take the walk by himself, but Wolfram insisted on accompanying him for the purpose of making sure Yuri didn't do anything scandalous behind his back or get involved...as usual...in a dangerous situation. Of course, Yuri didn't bother to complain, he was used to it by now and knew it wouldn't do him any good. Wolfram had a habit of doing whatever the hell he wanted, anyway. Not only when it had to do with Yuri, but that seemed to be the case most of the time._

_"You know, if you don't want to be here, then go home." Yuri said. Wolfram scoffed and crossed his arms._

_"Why? So you can partake in some scandelous affairs behind my back? As if! I know what a shameless flirt you are!" he said huffily. Yuri sighed and shook his head._

_"Gimme a break..." he mumbled._

_"And besides that," Wolfram added, "You always seem to land yourself in trouble, and unless someone like me or Lord Weller is there to babysit you, then you'd either get killed or get carried away when you turn full on Demon King." Yuri rolled his eyes._

_{Sheesh, he doesn't have any confidence in me whatsoever does he?} he thought {Although, I guess it IS nice to have some company, even if it's Wolfram. Browsing the merchant stands isn't as fun by myself.} Skimming through the book he had picked up, he stopped on a particular page._

_"Hey, Wolfram, take a look at this." he said._

_"Huh? What is it?" Wolfram asked, peeking over Yuri's shoulder curiously._

Yuri stopped suddenly and turned his pitch black gaze to the pink and crimson sky.

"I wonder... what would have happened if that inccident never took place? Would I have still realized my feelings...if I hadn't opened that book?" he pondered quietly to himself.

xx

"Hey, Wolf, can I ask you something?"

"Well if it isn't the homewrecker." Mira fought back the urge to smack Wolfram with the book she held in her hand. She was on her way to take it to Gunter when she had run into Wolfram there in the castle library. Seeing him brought to mind the expression in Yuri's eyes when she was talking to him that morning. She wanted to know what happened a month ago, but the Demon King didn't seem to want to tell her. So, she thought she might have better luck with Wolfram, who didn't come off as bothered by...whatever it was that happened. However...

"Homewrecker? Come on, Wolfram! We've been best friends since childhood! Do you really think I'd do something so dishonerable as steal King Yuri from you...or you from him, for that matter? Give me a break! Why would you even...oh. I see now. Listen, Wolfram, I don't know who told you about me talking to his majesty today, but I used my illusion magic to project an image of myself there so I could talk to him about something. It's nothing like you're thinking. I already have a love interest, and you have nothing to worry about, because it's the SAME person it has ALWAYS been." Emerald eyes locked onto violet. It was as though Wolfram was trying to read into her to see if she was telling the truth or not.

"...Well it BETTER still be him and not Yuri, for your sake. Even if we are friends, if you try to tear me and Yuri apart, as his fiance I will not hesitate to take you down. Got it?" he said. Mira nodded and Wolfram added,

"...Good. Now, you said something about wanting to ask me something?" Again, Mira nodded.

"Yeah. When I was talking to Yuri, he seemed bothered by something concerning you. I was wondering if you might be willing to tell me what exactly happened. If you don't think I'm prying, that is. I would've asked the king while I was there, but first of all, I can only project an image of myself for five minutes, and second, he didn't seem like he was going to tell me, anyway." she said. Realizing the 'something' that Mira said Yuri seemed troubled over, Wolfram smacked his forehead and sighed.

"Jeez, that wimp is such an idiot! Why can't he just let it go? It's not like it was a big deal or anything! ...Okay, sit down. This is going to take a while to explain." he said. Mira nodded and flopped down on the library sofa across from the one Wolfram was sitting on. When she was comfortable, Wolfram continued.

"First off, the only reason I'm telling you is because no one else seems to want to talk about it. Alright, here's what happened..."

xx

_"That gentlemen, is an old legend dating back to when the Second Demon King ruled." the merchant said. "It pertains to the legendary Bow of the Dragon God forged in that era. The Second Demon King forged that bow with his own hands, making it a VERY powerful Demon Weapon. It is said that any arrow fired from that bow would be embewed with the power of thunder, and would be strong enough to wipe out entire cities. The map shown in the book is where the Second Demon King ordered his most trusted servant to hide the bow after many thieves attempted to break into the treasury and steal it." _

_As Wolfram expected, this seemed to grab Yuri's interest right away, and he bought the book._

_"Come on, Yuri. You don't actually expect to find the bow, do you? How accurate can a book of legends possibly be? There are a lot of other treasures that were written about in that book too, you know. Sure, Morgif is one of them, but other than that stupid sword, NONE of them have ever been proven to exist." Wolfram said. Yuri shook his head in protest._

_"I don't care. For like three weeks now, Gunter's had me stuck studying. I'm bored! I want an adventure. Come on, Wolfram, let's go look for the Bow of the Dragon God. Please?" he pleaded. Wolfram sighed in defeat._

_"Fine. Let me see that stupid map." he said, taking the book as Yuri held it out to him. "It says the bow is hidden in a practically unreachable area. It's in a floating island temple crafted by demon magic. It's over the area where the dragons reside. The temple is full of dangerous traps, and is said to even have powerful guardians in the room where the bow is kept. Still want to go? I know how much of a wimp you are." he said this somewhat smugly, looking up to see Yuri's expression. The young Demon King's determination did not detere. He nodded vigorously._

_"Yes, already! So let's get going!" He said, running ahead._

_"H-hey, Yuri! Wait up!" Wolfram shouted, running after him. _

_Truth be told, even Wolfram had been pretty bored lately, and when Yuri had asked to go on this childish yet dangerous treasure hunt, Wolfram couldn't help but agree (with false reluctance) to go along. However, neither of them thought for a moment to inform Conrad or anyone else of their discovery or their decision to persue this ancient treasure. _

_"Hey, Yuri, just how do you expect to get up there, anyway?" Wolfram asked. Yuri looked up from stoking the campfire._

_"Huh? You mean to the temple thing in the sky? Well, to be honest...eheheheh...um..." he trailed off giving a nervous laugh. Wolfram glared in annoyance._

_"You dumb wimp! You mean to tell me that you don't have a plan at all?! You're completely hopeless!" he snapped. Yuri frowned._

_"Oh come on, Wolfram. Don't be like that. I may not have a plan now, but it's not like I was going to try anything before I thought of something. Just give me a chance to think on it, okay?" he said, flashing a reasuring smile. _

_"...Idiot..." Wolfram mumbled. Yuri was about to make an arguement, but spotting something out of the corner of his eye, he looked up._

_"Hey look, it's one of those winged skeleton guys. This is perfect! Hey, Boney! Down here! I have something I gotta ask; a favor!" Upon being called out to, the winged skeleton flew down and landed in a nearby tree. Wolfram turned to Yuri with a raised eyebrow._

_"You're kidding me. THIS is your brilliant idea?" he asked._

_xx_

_"Bye! Thanks again for giving us a lift!" Yuri called, waving at the skeleton as it disappeared into the distance._

_"Here's a question, Yuri. Now how are we going to get back __down__?" Wolfram grumbled. Yuri froze a minute and gave a nervous laugh._

_"Right...I guess I didn't think about that. Well...for now let's get what we came for, okay? We can worry about how to get down off the temple again later." he said, walking ahead. The blonde swiftly caught up and began repremanding his betrothed._

_"Yuri, you idiot! Don't just start rushing in! There's traps and all kinds of dangers waiting for us in here! You need to stay close to me at all times!" He scolded. The young demon king sighed. It was kind of annoying from time to time to have everyone acting like Wolfram was now; always insisting he stay close to them, and run away for his own safety in certain situations, and such. But in this case in particular, he would not argue that Wolfram was right. In a place like this, it would be unwise for either of them to go off on his own._

_"Kay." Was all he said on the matter. After a moment, he spoke again._

_"Hey Wolfram, what kind of traps do you think are up here? The book didn't say." he said. Wolfram scoffed._

_"We won't really have an idea of what to expect until we...or should I say YOU end up springing one of the traps, so the only thing we can do for now is be ready for anything."_

_"Yeah you're ri...Hey! What do you mean until __I__ end up springing one of the traps?! Since we don't know where they're hidden, it could just as easilly be YOU to set one off, you know!" Yuri huffed._

_And so the two continued through the corridor for what felt like hours. For some time, it went in a straight line. They had seen a few doors, but because Wolfram noticed that the doors had all been fastened to the solid marble walls of the temple, whatever traps those decoy doors may have been meant to trigger had not been disturbed._

_"Hey Wolfram, look. There's a split in the path up ahead. ...Two corridors. So, which one do you think we ought to take?" Yuri asked, turning to Wolfram. The blonde's eyes seemed to hold conflict. The map didn't show which way to go. Only how many chambers were in the building and where the bow was kept. None of the rooms were connected on the map at all. Wolfram knew well that if he picked the wrong corridor, he would not only be endangering himself, but his fiance, as well. On the other hand, Yuri wouldn't forgive him if he just called the adventure off completely._

_"...Let's try the left path." he finally said. The darker haired teen nodded in agreement._

_"Works for me." he said. _

_Again, for quite a few minutes, there was no trace of a trap at all. This factor seemed to surprise Yuri quite a bit, and honestly, it made him a little wary._

_"Hey Wolfram, don't you think it's odd that we haven't run into any- Gah!" The demon king made a startled sound as the blonde pulled him back a few feet. Had Wolfram not acted, the statues that aligned the walls of the corridor would have injured them both a significant amount._

_"...Thanks. But how are we supposed to cross? The statues are all shooting flames. And they're positioned just right where we can't go under OR over the flames." _

_"Look closer,you dumb wimp. There's a pattern." Wolfram said._

_"Stop calling me a w-...wait, a pattern?" Yuri turned a puzzled gaze back to the flame spitting gargoyles. Wolfram was right, there was a pattern. The statues spit their flames in a pattern. The first and last sections of the row fired off at the same time, and the center section remained off while the other two were active. Then, after a set amount of time, the center section would activate and the other two would shut off. Then the pattern would repeat._

_"All we have to do," Wolfram said, "Is take the time to figure out how many minutes each set shoots their flames, and then dash through when we see an opening." _

_"Got it." _

_The two studied the statues carefully. Ten seconds. Each part of the pattern stayed on for ten seconds before switching._

_"Ten seconds...so...how much time does that leave us to sprint through an opening? It switches right away." Yuri stated. Wolfram stood silent a moment, thinking. If the first trap was this severe, could he afford to allow Yuri to continue? Sighing, he realized he really had no choice in the matter now, as the two had no way of getting off the floating temple. So they may as well see it through, right?_

_"We can make it if we run through as fast as we can. We don't have much more than a three to five second opening, so we better make it count." he said. Yuri nodded and the two stepped slightly closer to the statues._

_"Ready?"_

_"Ready, Wolfram."_

_"Then let's go, Yuri!"_

**(A/N: And that concludes Chapter 2. Like this one, the back story events in Chapter 3 will be written in italic format to separate it from the present day events. I hope all you Yuri x Wolfram fans are enjoying reading the story as much as I'm enjoying writing it. Chapter 3 will be up soon, I promise! )**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

_"Wolfram, are you alright?!" Yuri exclaimed. Wolfram scoffed and clutched his left arm, which had been slightly burned when they reached the other side of the statues._

_"I'm fine, you stupid wimp. This is nothing compared to how bad it could have been. Come on, there's a stairway up ahead. Just don't let your guard down." he said, standing up. Yuri frowned, but followed Wolfram up the staircase nonetheless._

_{Maybe I should've come by myself. I mean, I know he said it's not that bad an injury, but...the only reason Wolfram came along is because I wanted to come. How many more times...is he going to get hurt because of me?} he thought, looking down._

_"Hey, Yuri! Quit lagging behind or you'll get yourself hurt!" Wolfram called over his shoulder. Hearing the blonde's voice snapped the demon king out of his thoughts and he ran to catch up with the other teen._

_"I'm coming, I'm coming!" he said. However, when he placed his hand on a certain stone, it pressed inward like a switch and activating yet another trap. This time, there were two separate dangers. The first was an axe swaying back and forth at the top of the stairs. The second...spikes coming up out of each step, and they were making their way up to the duo rather quickly._

_"That's just great! Come on, we don't have much time. When we get to the top, wait for the axe to swing one way, then get ready to jump through that way when it starts swinging in the other direction. Think you can handle it, Wimp?" Wolfram asked as they began to run up the rest of the steps._

_"Yeah...and stop calling me that!" Yuri replied shortly. Wolfram dove through first and made it just fine. But at the moment Yuri made his jump, spikes had come up from the step and pierced his foot. Not all the way through, but enough to make it hard to walk...and hurt like a b*****._

_"Yuri! What happened?! Are you okay?!" Wincing in pain, Yuri nodded._

_"Y-yeah. Not much worse than stepping on a nail, I guess." he said, getting to his feet. However, the pain was too much, and he fell again. Wolfram sighed._

_"Jeez, you really are a wimp." he then turned so his back was facing Yuri and crouched down. _

_"Come on," he said, "We've come this far, and we're going to see this through even if I have to carry you AND the bow when we get out of here." he said. _

_"..."_

_xx_

_"Wolfram, are you sure it's okay to be carrying me on your back like this with an injured shoulder?" the blonde scoffed._

_"Are you still worried about that? I told you, Yuri. I'm __fine__. I'll do whatever it takes to protect you. You know that." Yuri looked down and sighed._

_"Still...I'm sorry. I know it wouldn't have done any good against the traps, but I might've been a little more useful during all of this if I had at least brought Morgif into town with me today...or...would it be yesterday? You know come to think of it, I have no idea how long we've been in here."_

_"Does it matter? If you're worried about Gunter freaking out and sending a search party out for you, you know as well as I do, that it wouldn't matter if you were gone for two hours or two minutes. He'll still have a panic attack." Wolfram muttered._

_xx_

_"WHAT?! His Highness went WHERE?!" Gwendal sighed and shook his head in annoyance at Gunter's outbursts._

_"I should have known this would be an inconvenience." he said. Turning to the merchant who had sold Yuri and Wolfram the book, he asked,_

_"Tell me, did they actually mention searching for this temple?" the merchant nodded and explained that the red haired young man (Yuri in disguise) seemed quite excited about it._

_"Oh what shall we do?!" Gunter wailed. Gwendal sighed._

_"It's quite obvious. We need to go get Conrart and find a way up there to get His Majesty and Little Lord Brat out of there before they get themselves killed." he stated bluntly._

_"Oh! What horrible perils they must be facing! Your Highness, why did you not tell your faithful servant about your noble quest, so that I may be at your side to protect you?! Your Highness!"_

_"Gunter, calm down. As long as Wolfram is with him, the King will most likely be just fine. All the same, as I said we must return to Covenant Castle and retrieve Conrart so we may go and get them just to be sure."_

_xx_

_"Wolfram, I should be okay to walk now. It really isn't that bad an injury." Yuri insisted._

_"Don't be rediculous, Wimp. You're heavy, but not THAT heavy. And besides, it looks like we won't have to dodge any more traps. This door looks like the one portrayed in the book. I think this is where the bow is being kept." Wolfram replied. "However, I am going to need to set you down temporarily so I can get the door open."_

_"Fine by me."_

xx

"...Did you find it?" Wolfram blinked and looked up at Mira.

"Hm?"

"When you set King Yuri down and opened the door, was the bow there?" she asked. Wolfram looked down and nodded, closing his eyes.

"It was. But...that's not all we found."

xx

_"What the heck ARE those things?!" Yuri exclaimed. Wolfram drew his sword and readied for battle with the fierce monsters._

_"The book said there would be guardians protecting the bow, remember?!" he replied, dodging an oncoming attack from one of the monsters._

_"I know, I just didn't think they'd be this huge!" Yuri said, ducking when one of them attempted to attack him. _

_He wasn't exadurating, either. The beasts were indeed massive. There were three of them, and each was almost tall enough to touch the ceiling in the room. Their bodies were long and slender like snakes, and they were blood red in color. What made them unsual (and quite frightening) to Yuri was not their intimidating size, but the fact that their heads did not match their serpent like bodies. Instead, they had crimson lion heads with pitch black manes and not one, but THREE rows of razor sharp teeth._

_"Yuri, these are Giant Lion Vipers! As if their venom and squeeze power aren't bad enough, be careful not to look at the third eye located on their foreheads, or you'll be turned to stone!" Wolfram warned, jumping out of the way of another strike. However, one of the other vipers whipped its tail and threw him into a stone wall from behind while he was in midair._

_"WOLFRAM!" Yuri cried. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion after that. _

_Wolfram got up, but when he got an opening to attack one of the serpents full on, his blade was shattered on the diamond hard scales covering it's body. Yuri tried to figure out a way to help somehow, but between his injured foot and the fact that he didn't have Morgif with him...there was nothing he could do. Each time one of the serpents made to attack him, Wolfram was there to push them back. But the blonde's strength was waning. Yuri tried to tell him to forget about the bow and that they could escape if they tried now. But Wolfram insisted that they had come too far to give up, and that he could defeat the monsters. _

_It was at that moment that he got bit, and the pain from the poison was so great that he passed out from it. _

_If Yuri had not gone full-on demon mode and put up a barrior around himself and Wolfram, they would have both died then and there. Using another portion of his power, Yuri killed the beasts in his rage, Still in 'full on demon king' form, he picked Wolfram up carefully and proceeded to carry him outside, leaving the bow behind._

_Just as Yuri was exiting the building, Conrad, Gunter, and Gwendel had arrived. _

_"What's wrong with Wolfram? What happened?" Conrad questioned. _

_"...Lion Viper poison. We must get him back to the castle at once." Yuri replied. He too lost conciousness shortly after that order._

xx

"Wait, so according to what Gwendal told you...Yuri just left the bow there after you almost DIED to get it? Well, I'm glad he put you first, but were you mad that he did that after all the trouble you went through for him so he could have it? Did-"

"Damn it, Mira, if you keep interrupting me, I'm not gonna tell you anything else and you can just go ask Gunter or someone else about it!" Wolfram stated impatiently. Mira bit her bottom lip.

"...Sorry. I won't do it again, I promise. Please continue."

"...Good. Now, as I was saying..."

xx

_When Yuri came to, he sat up in realization._

_"Wolfram! Where is Wolfram?!" Wasting no time, he jerked the covers back and all but launched himself out of bed and dashed out of the room and down the corridor. _

_The Demon King hadn't been running long when he bumped into Gwendal...literally._

_"So you're awake. We need to talk. I want you to tell me everything that happened up until Wolfram was bitten." Gwendal said somewhat coldly. After Yuri had explained, he sighed._

_"I should have known. So even though you kept telling him it wasn't worth him risking his life over and dropped many subtle hints up to that point that the two of you should have left before then, he insisted that you may as well go through with it. Yes, that certainly sounds like Wolfram. Well, you needn't worry. Wolfram is being given medical care by the best doctor in the demon kingdom. He should be awake anywhere from three to seven days from now." he said. Yuri breathed a sigh of relief._

_"Thank goodness." he said. "Um...would it...do you think it'd be okay if I go see him, Gwendal? I know you said it would be three to seven days until he woke up, but..."_

_"But as his fiance, you wish to see him, nonetheless. He's being taken care of in his room." Gwendal replied, walking past Yuri._

_xx_

_Yuri looked down at Wolfram. He seemed like he was sleeping peacefully enough, but still. He could have been killed. And for what? All for Yuri's stupid idea to go get that stupid piece of junk up in that temple. No item, no matter how powerful, was worth the life of someone he cared about! But...because of him...Wolfram..._

_{Damn it!} Yuri thought in remorse, {I should have at LEAST thought to go back and ask Conrad to come along with us! Maybe then...}_

_Maybe then Wolfram wouldn't be in this state. Exhaling, Yuri sat in the arm chair next to Wolfram's bed._

_"I...I don't know if you can hear me, Wolfram, but...but please don't die, okay? I know Gwendal said you would wake up in a week or so, but still...that's a long time to wait, you know? I'm...I'm so sorry about this." his voice began to crack slightly. "If it weren't for my stupidity, you wouldn't have ended up like this. I wish I hadn't gone into town at all yesterday. If I hadn't found that damn book..."_

_xx_

Yuri opened his eyes and sat up. Ever since Mira's visit, his mind kept wandering back to that event.

"..."

xx

_For the entire seven days that Wolfram was unconcious, Yuri remained by his side, doing whatever he could to ensure that Wolfram's condition would improve. Sure enough, the blonde opened his eyes on the seventh day. And who else would be the first person to greet him but Yuri._

_"Wolfram, thank goodness!" The blonde's emerald eyes widened in surprise as Yuri hugged him tightly._

_"H-hey, Yuri! What the heck is up with you?!"_

xx

Sure, Wolfram was okay, and (to Yuri's silent disapproval) Conrad had even gone back for the bow since the two teens had gone through the trouble of finding it, and now it was in the royal treasury with the other rare items.

But since that day, Yuri had never stopped blaming himself for it, and his mind would constantly go back to how distraught he felt at the thought of losing Wolfram. At losing...his fiance. Since that time, he began to slowly realize just how much Wolfram meant to him.

xx

"Wow. So...Yuri was with you for the entire week you were unconcious?" Mira asked in amazement. Wolfram scoffed and nodded.

"That's what Gwendal told me. What a wimp. He gets worried over little nothings like that all the time." he said. Dispite his blunt tone, Mira couldn't help but fight a smile. She could see the red hue dusting his cheeks.

"...I don't know. I kind of think it's romantic. Wolfram...can I ask you something? Again, haha."

"...I guess. What is it this time?"

"This is a question I want you to answer with your heart. Not your mind, and certainly not your pride. But...are you in love with Yuri? I mean really in love with him? I know you say you are, and that you do a lot of things just for him, but...do you do this because Yuri holds your heart? Or is it because your pride won't allow you to think otherwise?"

"...Yuri...is my fiance. No one loves him more than I do, understand?" Looking into his eyes, Mira nodded, satisified.

"I see. Well, I think I've pestered my best friend enough for the time being. For now, I'm going to go see if Gwendal needs help with anything."

"By the way," Wolfram said, catching Mira's attention, "Are you ever going to tell the guy you want to persue how you feel? It's been what, seven years now? I don't approve of you loving a guy like him, but if it'll make you happy, then... stop wasting time, already! If you don't do something now, you won't be able to." Mira smiled.

"...I'll keep it in mind. See you later, Wolf."

xx

"Yuri, you're back!" Yuri laughed and hugged his 'daughter' as she ran over to greet him.

"Yes, I'm back. I'm sorry to keep jumping back and forth between worlds like this, Greta." he said.

"It's about time." Yuri set the red haired child down and smiled in greeting at his fiance.

"Wolfram, hi. Sorry. I know it upsets everyone when I go back to the other world unexpectedly. Believe me, it's an inconvenience to me when it happens without warning, too. Hey Greta, I have something for you." he said, pulling off the backpack he had and taking a doll out of it. The doll was plastic and had long red hair. She wore a pastel green dress and had eyes to match.

"I'm sorry she got kind of wet. I wish I could get here through something besides water, but..." Greta smiled.

"I love her! Thank you so much, Papa!" she said, hugging the doll. "I'm going to go show her to Miss Annisina!"

After Greta was gone, Yuri turned to Wolfram.

"I um...have something for you, too." Wolfram blinked.

"Huh? For me?" he asked. Yuri nodded a light blush dusting his cheeks.

"Yeah. I mean, you are my fiance, after all. And well...there's this holiday in my other world coming up called Valentines Day. And..." after a brief summary of what Valentines Day is, Yuri took out the pens and tin of chocolates.

"Sorry they're not wrapped. I didn't think there'd be any point in it wrapping them since the paper would just get wet on the way here. This is just a tin of chocolates. I know it's cliche, but it's the thought that counts, right? And these," he held up the pen set, "Are stationary pens. They have ink already inside them, so you don't need to use a quill. I've noticed you writing in some kind of journal or something quite a bit lately, so I thought these might be good to write with." Wolfram took the gifts hesitantly. After a moment, he said,

"Come on."

"Huh? Where're we going?" Yuri asked.

"I'm going to put these away and then we're going into the town."

"How come?"

"Just shut up and come on!"

xx

Yuri blinked a few times and turned to Wolfram.

"What? You brought me into town to get me something?" he asked. "How come?"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm your fiance! And if this Valentines Day thing is important to you, then I should follow the tradition and get you something, too. So pick something. Anything you want." he said, blushig lightly.

Yuri looked around. He didn't really expect Wolfram to go through the trouble of doing this. But he knew Wolfram well enough to know he'd be offended if his fiance told him this venture wasn't necissary, especialy since he was going out of his way to do this.

"...Hey Wolfram, can I ask you something?"

"Dejavu..." Wolfram mumbled. Yuri blinked.

"Huh?"

" Nothing. Ask away." Wolfram said. Yuri looked up at the sky.

"Why is it...you stay loyal to me even after what happend that day? I mean, you almost died because of MY decision to go looking for that stupid bow."

"Oh will you shut up about that already? You stupid wimp! Did it ever occur to you that what happened to me was possibly my doing and not yours? I knew we were in for more than we could probably handle. I knew that we should at least go back for your sword even if we didn't tell anyone else what we were doing, but I chose not to say anything to you." Wolfram said heatedly. Yuri gasped in shock.

"Wh-what? Wolfram...why...why didn't you say anything if you knew something bad might happen?"

"..."

"I believe I can answer that one." The two teens turned to see Mira walking up to them. Turning to Yuri, she said,

"Your H-...Yuri...sorry, I keep forgetting...the reason Wolfram decided not to mention taking anyone with you up to that temple is because...he wanted it to be just the two of you. He wanted to spend a little alone time with you, Yuri. And I'm sorry, Wolfram, but if he has to ask why you wanted to spend time with him...then maybe you two aren't meant for eachother. Well, I've got some shopping to do, so if you'll excuse me." without waiting for either of them to respond to her statement, she walked away.

xx

"I thought Conrart asked you not to meddle." Mira sighed.

"What, no 'welcome back'? Sheesh, it's always straight to the point with you, isn't it, Gwendal? Sometimes I wonder why..."

"Why what?" Gwendal inquired. Mira smiled and shook her head.

"Oh, nothing. And for your information, I was not meddling." she said. "All I did was find out what their feelings are for eachother to make sure each of them is in good hands." Gwendal scoffed.

"And your verdict, Mirette?" Mira smiled and winked.

"That's for me to know, and you to find out."

"Gwendal! There you are!" Gwendal tensed and turned to see a certain red haired woman running towards him and Mira.

"...Annisina..."

"Gwendal, I just invented a new magical device that can show a person who their true love is, but I need a guinee pig."

"Annisina-" Gwendal began. Mira interrupted.

"Actually Lady Annisina, Gwendal has some work to do. But...I'm free to help you if you'd like." she volunteered cheerfully. Annisina beamed.

"You'd do that? Mira, you're a lifesaver. Come on, let's not waste any time."

"R-right!"

As the two women rushed off, Gwendal's relief turned once again to tension. Whenever Mira ran off so eagerly with Annisina, it meant that she was up to something and needed the red haired woman to act as her accomplice. Sighing, he shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Why do I have a feeling that something horrible is about to happen?" he grumbled. "I swear that girl can not be controlled..."

"Hm? Gwendal, is something wrong?" Gwendal turned to the lavender haired man.

"I suppose it's only right to forwarn you...you're darling niece just ran off with Annisina." he said. Gunter's eyes widened in panick.

"What?! Mirette just went with Annisina?! Oh no! Who knows what trouble she's going to get into! What shall we do?!" he exclaimed. Gwendal sighed.

"Calm down. We can't make blind assumptions just yet. For now, let's just keep an eye out for any troublesome activity from the two of them." he said. Though with Annisina involved, there wasn't really much they could do about it, anyway...

"What I don't understand...is that yesterday she said she was leaving for Francia tonight. If she's plotting with Annisina, it means she's obviously staying at Covenant Castle for a while longer. But I wonder what's so important that she would delay a vacation that she seemed to look forward to so much?" Gunter pondered.

xx

"Mirette Elisianna VonLunis." Mirette paled. The only time Gunter was brave enough to storm into Annisina's lab...and the only time he ever addressed her by her full name...was when he was mad at her for something.

"Um...Y-yes, Uncle?" she asked timidly. Hey, dispite his usual demeanor, she knew Gunter wasn't someone to be messed with.

"I believe both Conrart and Gwendal asked you not to intervene in their younger brother's love life. You should be especially considerate of this request since Wolfram's fiance is His Highness." he said sternly. Mira sighed and looked down.

"Uncle, I-"

"Mira, I want no more of this nonsense. I understand that you are worried about both Wolfram and His Highness, but Wolfram at least is older than you are, and is perfectly capable of taking care of himself. The same goes for His Highness. You are their friend, not their mother." Gunter scolded gently. Inwardly Mira scoffed.

{You're acting so mature, Uncle, but you're worse than I am when it comes to the king.} However, instead of voicing this, she said,

"I understand, Uncle. It won't happen again." Gunter smiled approvingly.

"Good. Now, I shall leave you ladies to your...whatever Annisina is working on right now. Good day." after he was gone, Annisina smirked.

"You're...not actually planning on keeping out of this, are you?" she asked. Mira gave a nervous laugh.

"Well...it would be more reassuring if they would voice their feelings to eachother once in a while." she said mischievously. Annisina smiled.

"So then...what's our plan of attack?" she asked. Mira smiled back and pulled a notebook out of her satchel.

"I'm glad you asked."

xx

Wolfram blinked.

"That's what you want?" he asked. Yuri nodded and Wolfram examined the object. It was a simple thing, really. Nothing near as pricey and extravagant as he thought Yuri might choose. The item was actually two; a matching pair. Pendants made from a simple piece of twine with a shard of blue glass cut in the shape of a crystal hanging from them.

"Say what you want, but I think they're neat." Yuri said.

"You have a good eye, sir. These pendants were made as good luck charms. I sell them in pairs because they're meant to protect lovers and bind them together for eternity." The girl running the shop said. This seemed to catch Wolfram's interest.

"Is that so? Well, while I don't normally make it a point to believe such superstitious nonsense, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to try them out. We'll take them." he said, paying her. As soon as the two got back outside, Yuri took the pendants and slipped them around his and Wolfram's necks.

"There. Now no matter what, we'll always be connected." he said. Wolfram scoffed, but there was a trace of a smile on his lips as he said,

"You're such a sap, Yuri."

"...Hey Wolfram?"

"What's up?"

"...Let's go riding together tomorrow." Yuri suggested with a smile.

Unbeknownst to the two, a certain pair of mischeivous females were watching the whole scenario not to far away.

"Wow. I guess I had nothing to worry about. Looks like things will be just fine between them. Their love is obvious, even if they don't voice it." Mira said quietly.

"Unacceptable! Their love cannot be expressed properly unless they voice their feelings! Oh you poor dear, you know nothing about romance."

"Annisina..." Mira said warningly. "...It doesn't matter if they've voiced their feelings or not. I can tell their love for one another is strong. ...Listen, I'm going to Francia to rende...I-I mean on holiday for a while. Do not do anything to get me yelled at by my uncle or Wolf's brothers while I'm gone, okay?" before the red haired woman could turn and reply, the other girl was already gone.

Annisina sighed before looking back to Yuri and Wolfram, a determined glint in her eyes.

"Mira has never had a lover in her life, so she has no idea the importance of vocal declaration of one's love to their soul mate. Love needs communication to survive! Oh well, I shall have to help these two young men declare their love for one another myself! Time to get to work!" she said.

**(A/N: Uh oh! Looks like Mirette has no idea what she's just set loose on the poor unsuspecting demon couple! How far will the cra...I mean, overly-enthused Annisina go to complete this 'mission' of hers? And who is it Mira is going to meet up with... in Human territory of all places? And how will Wolfram and Yuri's date go? Tune in next time to find out! ^^ Chapter 4 will be up soon!) **


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"... Shouldn't we warn Shibuya and the others?" the young priestess turned to face Murata, a troubled look in her violet eyes.

"It would do no good to worry them, Your Excellency. Something bad is about to happen, but it has nothing to do with physical danger. His Majesty and Wolfram alone must face this trial. That is the will of the Great One." she said. Murata frowned.

"A trial? What, a test of how much they care about eachother?" he asked, adjusting his glasses and turning his head to the altar of the Great One. Ulrike nodded.

"Yes. The Great One believes that His Majesty and Wolfram's bond must be tested before officially approving their union." she replied. Murata glared atthe altar.

"...You're a jerk, you know that? Listen, old friend, I can understand your doubts, but it's bad enough we have to worry about Mirette and Annisina plotting to cause trouble. Shibuya and Wolfram don't need to have to worry about 'divine intervention' ruining a good thing." he said bluntly. Sighing, he added,

"Whatever you're doing...just don't take it too far, alright?"

xx

"So...your friends and family actually believe you went to Francia? Are you serious?" Mira sighed and nodded.

"Yeah. It was the only thing I could tell them. If they knew why I really left, they'd freak out. My uncle more than anyone, I bet." she replied. The young woman sitting across from her ran her tan fingers through her dark blue hair and shook her head.

"You'll never change, Mira. You know, I'm surprised you're wanting the same guy after all this time. If I were you, I'd give up and find a different guy to set my sights on. He's never going to-"

"The lead, Kira. You said you had a lead on where I could find him." the human woman sighed and took a piece of paper out of her pocket.

"Rumor has it, he's heading to this town in Big Shimaron. It'll be dangerous for you to be there if they find out you're from the Demon Tribe. Best dye your hair and get contacts for your eyes. That hood won't keep you from being noticed forever." she said. Mira looked down at the piece of paper. It was a map of Small and Big Shimaron with one of the towns in Big Shimaron circled. To help her friend, the human took a piece of charcoal and drew an 'X' on one spot.

"We're in the village I just marked; located just outside of Small Shimaron. You've got quite a ways to go. I brought a horse you could use. I just wish you luck. I know you'll need it." she said, shaking her head. Mirette threw a pouch of coins on the table and put the map in her satchel.

"Don't worry about me, Kira. I can handle myself just fine. Thanks for the help. I knew I could count on you."

xx

"So where exactly are we going, Yuri?" Wolfram asked. The demon king smiled and winked at his fiance.

"You'll see. You're going to love it, believe me."

"..."

When the horses finally stopped, they had reached a forest clearing with a waterfall and small pond on the west edge of it. Growing all around the area were sweet smelling apple trees and flowers. But...not just any flowers. When Wolfram dismounted and noticed them, he gave a small gasp of surpise.

"Hey...aren't those...?" Yuri nodded and took a picnic blanket from his saddlebag.

"Yep. They're Wolframs. Lady Celi gave me the seeds about a month ago after I found this spot. I thought they'd make a nice touch. I thought about planting roses, too, but they'd have overpowered the fragrance of the other flowers." Laying out the blanket and taking a picnic basket from the back of his saddle, he smiled.

"Well, shall we have lunch?"

As the two sat and ate, a thought crossed Wolfram's mind.

"Hey Yuri?" he asked.

"What's up?"

"...Well, I was wondering...when Mira talked to you in your world...she didn't threaten you, did she?" Yuri seemed slightly surprised that Wolfram would ask this.

"No, she didn't. Really, she just wanted to make sure she could trust her best friend with me, that's all. She asked how I felt about you, but she didn't make any threats." he replied. Wolfram breathed a sigh of relief.

"Good. Sometimes...Mira can get carried away. Especially when she thinks she's acting in someone else's best interests. ...By the way, what did you tell her?" Yuri blinked.

"H-huh?" he asked. Wolfram turned to him.

"What did you tell her when she asked how you felt about me?" he repeated. Yuri's cheeks turned crimson and he turned away.

"W-well um...I-I actually didn't get the chance to answer her. She can only project an image of herself somewhere far away for five minutes, and...she was already there for two when I reached her. Before I could answer, she disappeared." he replied. This did not deter Wolfram, however.

"Alright, in that case, what would you have told her?" he asked. Yuri's blush darkened.

"Come on, did you have to bring this up?" he asked. "It's embarassing." Wolfram scoffed and stood up.

"So you're saying what we have is embarassing?" he demanded. Yuri, too, stood.

"Come on, Wolfram. That's not what I meant at all. Don't get mad." He tried to put his hands on Wolfram's shoulders, but the blonde smacked them away and turned his back to Yuri, crossing his arms.

"Hmph!"

"Wolfram, come on, what do you want from me?" Wolfram turned, a certain fire in his emerald eyes.

"I want you to answer my question. How do you feel about me?" he asked. Yuri sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Come on, you should already know that without me having to say it." he mumbled.

"So you don't even care enough to put it into words? Fine!" Wolfram snapped, getting back up on his horse.

"Wolfram, hey!" Yuri ran over and grabbed the reigns to keep Wolfram from leaving.

"Alright, alright! You win. I...I'll say it. But...but first you have to get down off your horse." Wolfram scoffed, but complied. Yuri exhaled nervously. He didn't know why he was so nervous about it, he was already engaged to Wolfram, right?

"...Wolfram...I...I l-lo-" he tried to finish the sentence, but for some reason the words wouldn't even come out in a nervous stammer. And when he tried to say something else, that didn't form into words either. What was going on?!

xx

"That's strange." Annisina mumbled, searching through her cabinets.

"What's wrong, Lady Annisina?" the red haired woman turned to the bald man.

"Dacascos, have you by any chance seen my new invention? It's called the Mister Magic Brew Master 3000. It has the power to turn any tea brewed in it into the ultimate potion. Depending on what kind of tea is used, a lot of different effects are possible. For example, rose petal tea can become a love potion, chamomile will put the drinker to sleep, and Geizela's special cherry blossom and lavender blend would most likely act as a silencer." Dacascos blinked, then thought a moment.

"Well...there was an odd looking teapot in the kitchen, but it's gone now. I think His Majesty packed it to use on his picnic with Lord Wolfram." he replied. Annisina was surprised at first, then smiled.

"Oh really? Thank you, Dacascos, that's all I needed to know. You can go now." the soldier nodded and dismissed himself. When he was gone, Annisina smiled and shook her head.

"Well...my plan worked even better than expected. Although, I planned to test it on them myself by brewing some rose petal tea and having one of the girls serve it to the two of them. Oh well. A success is still a success, after all." she said.

xx

Wolfram blinked.

"Huh? What is it, Yuri? How come you all of a sudden stopped talking?" he asked. Yuri pointed at his throat and shrugged, indicating that he'd lost his voice, but didn't know why. Glancing behind his fiance, Wolfram had a realization.

"...Hey, doesn't that teapot look like one of Annisina's inventions?" he asked. Yuri turned and smacked his forehead. Of course. Annisina. Who else would have a teapot with such a strange design. And on the side were some inscriptions:

_**"Mr. Magic Brew Master 3000- Turns any tea blend into users desired potion"**_

_**"In case of accidental use of wrong tea blend, drink water to cure."**_

Wolfram took Yuri's water skin and filled it in the crystal clear water of the waterfall. When it was full, he took it back over to Yuri.

"When we get back, Annisina is going to have some explaining to do." he said. Yuri nodded and took the water gratefully. After a few gulps, he tried to speak again.

"I-I wonder if...hey! My voice is back! Awesome! I wonder if...do you think she planned for us to 'accidentally' grab her weird gizmo for our picnic instead of a real teapot?" he asked. Wolfram scoffed.

"I wouldn't put it past her. But that's not important now. Finish what you were saying before." he said, his eyes locked onto Yuri's. The young demon king sighed. Oh, brother...

"R-right. I...oh come on! This is rediculous, Wolfram! You know I love you! So how come you have to make a big deal out of whether or not I say it?!" He then jumped in surprise when Wolfram hugged him. Pulling away, the blonde smiled.

"See? Is it so hard for you to say it once in a while? I'm not usually one for sappy stuff, but I think verbal communication now and then is important in maintaining a good relationship." he stated. Yuri blinked.

"Um..."

"Come on, we should pack up and head back to the castle. Annisina is probably missing her trouble making invention, and it looks like rain clouds are rolling in." Wolfram tossed Yuri some things to put away and the dark haired teen sighed. Somehow, he felt he'd been tricked. Heaving a sigh, he started putting things back in his saddle bags. Oh, well. At least this little date didn't end in total disaster. Still, it was a closer call than he would have liked...

xx

Mira sighed and stoked her campfire. It had been three days, and no matter who she asked, no one seemed to have seen who she was looking for. Maybe...maybe she really was in over her head here. Maybe it was a mistake to pursue him. Maybe it was time for her to let go of something she couldn't have and search for new love. After all as the saying went, there were plenty of fish in the sea. Sighing, she took a mirror out of her satchel. it was one of Annisina's inventions. The Cupid Show Me Your Grand Design or Else! Mirror. It would allow the user to supposodly see who their true love was. It was made to show them their soul mate. And apparently, after having been tested on Hube and Nikola, it was proven to have worked.

"I swear...Annisina has the weirdest names for her stuff. But...I have to know who my true love is, so..." she murmured, closing her eyes. Tightening her grip on the handle of the mirror, she concentrated as much power as she needed into activating the mirror. When the jewels around the edges lit up and an image appeared, Mira gasped at the person who was revealed to her.

"I don't believe it. All this time...and my true love was that man? A wasted trip, then!" she said with an exasperated sigh, putting the mirror away.

Though, she couldn't say she was completely surprised. There had been a few times when she felt that her love for the person she was searching for was little more than a crush. Though she never expected that her true love would be the person shown to her. Heaving another sigh and laying down in her bedroll, she closed her eyes.

"Guess I'll just have to leave this place tomorrow, then." she murmured.

xx

Yuri rolled over in bed and wrapped his arm around Wolfram's waist. He didn't know why, but for some reason, it felt pretty cold tonight. Then again, it was February, and it most likely wouldn't hit the hot weather until early May. His movement stirred Wolfram slightly, and the green eyed demon rolled over to face his fiance.

"What's the matter, Yuri?" he asked tiredly. Yuri blushed.

"Well..um...it's a little cold tonight, so um...I thought it might be warmer if we slept closer together. D-do you mind?" he mumbled. Wolfram smiled and closed his eyes again.

"Not at all. After all, I am your fiance." he replied.

_Yuri stared in shock at what he was seeing. He and Wolfram had gone into the tomb of the Great One with the intention of having their engagement blessed. But...everything happened so quickly. Wolfram had gone up to the altar first. That was when it happened. Someone came out of practically no where and stabbed him before Yuri could so much as blink._

_"Wolfram, no!" Grief and panic rushed over Yuri as he ran to Wolfram's side. When he looked up, he saw a cloaked figure standing over Wolfram and himself._

_"Why?! What did he do to deserve this?! ...Wolfram, please...I can't lose you...I can't..." He pulled the dying Wolfram close to him and sobbed. When he turned a hateful glare back on the culprit, he gasped in shock._

_"N-no...Mira...? Mira, how could you!? I thought you two were best friends!" Mira's violet eyes held a dark glint in them as her lips turned to a cruel smile._

_"Do not worry, Your Highness. __You__ shall die with him." she said, bringing the bloodied dagger in her hand down upon the demon king._

Yuri bolted upright, his whole body shaking. A dream...just a dream. Even so, the very thought haunted him. His grip tightened on the blanket. He had to get stronger. He just had to. Wolfram was a warrior, it was true. However...it didn't mean Yuri shouldn't prepare to protect his fiance in case of the event that the dream meant something.

{Even if the part about Mira was just a dream...the rest might not have been. I can't...I can't ignore it if there's a risk that someone or something might try to take Wolfram away from me.} he thought, determination blazing in his onyx eyes.

He had to keep that from happening, no matter what it took.

**(a/n: And that's it for Chapter 4. By the way, this is near the end of Season 2, but before they find the fourth forbidden box; the Bottom of the Mirror. I thought I should let anyone who's reading this know that before advancing the story any farther. I will be covering the Season 2 finale and some of Season 3 as well, by the way. As for who Mira's true love is and where she's going, that will be revealed when the time comes. Until then, I hope you're enjoying the story so far and Chapter 5 will be up before you know it!)**


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